Happily Ever After
by Super Spazz Attack
Summary: Bedtime parables, and other stories, for the growing mind. Jack/Gwen mostly implied . Rating for safety. Now a series!
1. Happily Ever After

A/N: Well…before anyone asks, I'm still writing the last chapter of _The Compass_. I really am. It's just taking me a long, long time. In an effort to battle my writer's block on that story, I've decided to write this.

Anyway, this story fits into the timeline of _Bittersweetness_. It's not necessary that you read that story before this one, but if you have, you'll already know what's going on. If not…no worries. This isn't War and Peace. Hell…this isn't even The Wheel of Time series.

Also, this story was in part inspired by Lady Clark-Weasly of Books's _The Rift Child_, which has to be the single most adorable story I've ever read. Go read it, if you haven't already.

**Disclaimer**: Torchwood's not mine. Neither is Gwen. They belong to the Beeb and Mr. Davies. Carys, on the other hand, is my own character. Not that it matters, in the long run, because she's part of a story that – technically – doesn't actually belong to me, but…meh. Figured I should mention it.

**Spoilers**: Um…generalities for...the whole series, really. Very general, though. And also for my story _Bittersweetness_, which I've already mentioned.

**Pairing**: Implied Jack/Gwen

**Warning**: It could be cheesy. It probably is, but I'm not too worried. Also, it's been about eight years since I've had to tell a four year old a bedtime story, so it may seem a little off to those with more experience with such things than I. Hopefully it's not too bad though. Enjoy!

* * *

**Happily Ever After**

"Mam, tell me 'bout the dark prince again!"

Gwen looked down at the excited four-year-old. Already bathed and in her pajamas, Carys was bouncing up and down on the bed, blue eyes shining.

"How about the time I met your father?" Gwen countered. "I first met your da' at –"

"No, no! The dark prince story! Like a fairy tale!"

Gwen sighed. "Only if you stop jumping on the bed."

At the top of her arc, Carys folded her legs underneath herself. She landed with a thump on the mattress.

Gwen smiled and sat on the bed next to her daughter.

"Once upon a time, there was a young woman who –"

"Was she a princess?"

"– there was a young princess who –"

"Did she kiss a frog?"

"Carys, if you interrupt one more time, I won't tell it."

"Sorry, Mam." Carys looked suitably contrite for interrupting her Mam.

Gwen pulled back the covers, and Carys climbed under them.

"Now. Once upon a time there was a young woman who wanted to guard her city against thieves and brigands. Because the social order allowed it, she joined the city guard though she never got to a higher rank than a police constable."

"I thought she was a princess!" Carys said indignantly, and then clamped her mouth shut at her mother's raised eyebrow.

"One night, when it was raining cats and dogs – not literally," Gwen added to forestall another interruption, "the young woman saw something that changed her world forever. She saw a man _come back to life._"

"Was that Uncle Jack?"

"No."

"But Uncle Jack can come back to life, I saw him. When he got in the way of that car and his head got all spun around, he stood up again, even though Mrs. Wiggins was screaming –"

"Let me finish."

Gwen winced at the memory that Carys spoke of; Jack had pushed Carys out of the way of a car, only to get hit himself. He hadn't completely died, but his neck had been broken so that when he stood up, his head was on backwards. Mrs. Wiggins had to be retconned, and Carys was left with the impression that her Uncle Jack was invincible like Superman and that this was cool. At least it was better than her daughter being scarred for life.

"Now; before the man came back to life, all the guards were trying to figure out how he'd died. Because the young woman was only a lowly constable, she wasn't allowed past the cordon. She had to stand there with her friend Andy and keep people out. And then the dark prince and his cronies arrived."

Carys giggled and squealed in anticipation.

"The dark prince and his cronies told the guards that they were no longer needed. This angered the guards, because they wanted to see justice done for the poor murdered man. But the dark prince held the highest authority – even higher than the Lord Mayor!"

"Higher than the Queen?"

Gwen hesitated. "Sometimes."

"Yay!"

"Shh. Because the young woman was angry at being pushed aside, and curious at what was happening, she climbed the nearest tower and looked out over the edge in secret to watch. One of the dark prince's cronies was putting on a metal glove. As the young woman watched, the lights grew brighter, and the rain stopped – and then the dead man woke up!"

Carys gasped in horror, even though she knew what was coming.

"The young woman was so shocked, she couldn't even scream. The dark prince and his cronies asked the man questions, but after two minutes he was dead again. And then the dark prince looked up, because he'd known the young woman was there the whole time!"

Carys pulled the covers up to her chin.

"The young woman ran away and didn't stop until she was back with the other guards at the guard house."

"Then what?" Carys asked when no more seemed forthcoming. It wasn't for many years that Carys understood the wistfulness in her mother's voice when she recited this part of the story.

"The young woman searched for the dark prince, high and low, to demand an explanation. She found him, and his secret base, and even met his cronies. But because what they did was secret, the dark prince cast a spell on the woman to make her forget. So she ran home, and did everything she could to make sure she would remember. But when she woke again, she'd forgotten everything."

"Including the dark prince?"

"Including the dark prince."

"But…that's so sad!" Tears welled up in the big blue eyes of the four year old, and Gwen was at a loss to confront them. "How can she marry the prince if she's forgotten him? The prince will be lonely, for ever and ever and ever!"

Gwen smoothed her daughter's dark curls.

"Because the young woman managed to leave herself a clue. Just one clue, but it led her back to the dark prince's lair, even though she couldn't remember why that spot was important."

Carys' tears vanished as quickly as they'd formed. "She found the dark prince again?"

"Yes she did. But not before she was attacked by one of the dark prince's cronies, the same one who had used the glove to wake up the dead man. She was jealous and didn't want the young woman to come to the attention of the dark prince again."

"Was she in love with the dark prince too?"

"I think she was."

"But the dark prince didn't love _her_, right? He loved the young woman and wanted to make her his princess, even though he'd had to make her forget. Right?"

"You'd have to ask him."

Carys nodded as though she cold go out right now and find the dark prince and ask him her questions. "Tell me the rest!"

"Well, there was a brief battle, and the crony died by her own hand, and this shocked the young woman so much that she suddenly remembered everything the dark prince had wanted her to forget."

"Even the bit where he was in love with her?"

"But the young woman didn't know that. She'd only just met him. But because the dark prince had lost a member of his team, he offered the young woman a place by his side."

"And she took it, right?"

"Yes she did."

"And then she fell in love with the dark prince?"

"And had many adventures with him and his team." This was usually where the story ended, with the traditional "and they lived happily ever after…" But tonight, Gwen found herself continuing it. "But then one day, the dark prince left, and his princess was lonely."

Carys eyes got big and round again, and started to fill with tears. The chin quiver started soon thereafter.

"All this while there was a good merchant," Gwen added. "The good merchant loved the young woman, even when she had been a guard. He didn't know about the dark prince or the adventures the young woman was having. He asked the young woman to marry him."

"And did she?"

"She did."

"But she loved the dark prince!"

"The dark prince had gone away."

"That's stupid!"

"That's love."

"Love is stupid!"

"No, love is many things, but never stupid. And the young woman loved the good merchant too, just not the same way she loved the dark prince."

"Did the dark prince come back?" Carys wanted to know. She'd never heard this part of the story before, and she was afraid her mother wouldn't tell her the rest. Grown ups got weird sometimes, and even though she was only four, Carys knew that there was more to this story that her Mam wasn't telling her.

"He did. And he even came to the young woman's wedding to the good merchant."

"Did he try to stop it?"

"At first, because there was a threat of a monster attack."

"What about after the monster attack?"

"He let them get married."

"But why?" Carys exclaimed. "He loved her!"

"Because he loved her enough to let her go."

"That's stupid!"

"Hush, now, and let me finish. Some weeks after the wedding, they were attacked by the dark prince's twisted brother. They lost many people in the battle, including two friends that were part of the dark prince's team. Everyone was saddened at the loss of their friends, and the dark prince, the young woman and the dark prince's lieutenant spent more and more time together. One night…" her voice faltered, not sure how to continue. Carys' curiosity about where babies came from had been largely satisfied earlier that year when her teacher had become pregnant, but this was still uncharted territory for Gwen. She chose her words carefully. "One night, after the lieutenant had gone home, and when the dark prince and his princess, the good merchant's wife, were alone together in his castle…"

"Did they make a baby together?" Carys asked brightly. She had started to cheer up at the thought that the dark prince and his princess would get together after all. "They did!" she added when her mother didn't say anything and looked shocked. "I knew it!"

Gwen tried to speak, and had to try a few times before any sound came out. She was quite sure her face had gone as red as the bed spread. "The young woman was scared and ashamed when she found out she was with child, because she had broken her marriage vows. She swore never to tell, not even the dark prince, lest she hurt the good merchant. Nine months later, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, and the young woman knew that she could never be ashamed of her child again. The good merchant was so happy about being a father that the young woman knew she could never, ever tell him that the child was the dark prince's."

"Does the young woman still have adventures with the dark prince?"

"Sometimes. But after she had a child, the prince became more protective of the young woman and wouldn't let her have as many adventures as before."

"But why?"

"So she could go home to her family every night, and keep them safe."

Carys was silent at this. She leaned back in her bed, and Gwen smoothed the covers around her daughter's small form.

"What happens when the girl grows up? Will she find out who her real dad is and then help him fight monsters?"

"We'll see," Gwen said. "That story hasn't been written yet."

"Will you tell it to me again tomorrow?" Carys yawned.

"Of course."

"Even the bit where the young woman married the good merchant instead of the dark prince?"

"Even that bit."

"Goodnight, Mam."

"Goodnight, my sweet." She leaned forward and planted a kiss on her daughter's brow, and then stood and turned out the bedside lamp. "Sleep tight."

"Mam?"

"Yes Carys?"

"Did the young woman and the good merchant live happily ever after?"

But Carys was asleep before Gwen could answer.

* * *

Down the hall, in the living room, Ianto looked up from his coffee.

"I heard your story," he said.

Gwen froze in place, but the brief moment of terror was enough that Ianto saw it too.

"I won't tell," he said. "I had guessed as much anyway, with how you two have been since you told us you were pregnant."

Gwen sighed, sat across from her friend and put her head in her hands. "I don't know why I told her as much as I did, tonight," she said. "I usually stop after the whole 'joining the dark prince on his adventures'. I usually end it with 'and they lived happily ever after.'"

"Did we?" Ianto wondered aloud.

"Maybe not 'ever after', but for a time we were happy."

"All things considered, we still are," Ianto said.

"All things considered," Gwen agreed.

The front door opened and closed then, and Rhys came into the living room.

"Hiya, daftie" Rhys said gently, greeting his wife. "Hiya, Ianto," he added, reaching out to shake his hand. "Not here to steal my wife, are ye?"

"No," Ianto smiled slightly, though the smile was devoid of irony. "It's her night off. I thought she could use some coffee, and so brought it over."

"Ah. That's what smells so good. Kidlet in bed, then?"

"Just finished telling her bedtime story," Gwen replied. "She should be asleep by now."

"I'll just go check on her," Rhys said, and slipped out of the room.

"I should be heading back to the Hub," Ianto said as soon as they were alone. "Jack will be wondering."

"Anything big happening tonight?" Gwen asked quietly.

"Nothing yet. But still. He worries."

"I know."

She led Ianto to the door and retrieved his jacket from the closet.

She gave him a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. "All my love to him," she said softly, lest Rhys hear.

Ianto said nothing. He smiled sadly, nodded, and vanished through the door.

"No end of the world tonight?" Rhys asked as he came back into the room.

"I told them to put it on hold," Gwen said smartly. She plunked herself down onto the couch she'd just vacated, and Rhys landed next to her. She leaned her head onto his shoulder, and sighed.

No regrets, she had promised herself. Whatever she had done, or would do, she would not regret it.

"What's up?" Rhys asked.

"I was telling Carys a fairy tale."

"And?"

"I was just wondering. Are 'happily ever after's possible?"

"I think we've already got ours," Rhys said contently.

Gwen sighed again, the secret that she had squirming in her heart. No regrets, she reminded herself sharply.

"Yeah," she said vaguely. "I guess we do."

And with that, she had to be content.

* * *

A/N: Sooooooooooooooo…like? Don't like? Lemmie know…and if someone can give me a bit of inspiration regarding _The Compass_, I'd be much obliged : )

* * *

EDIT: I added a few paragraphs at the end because people were telling me the ending was confusing...which I totally get because it totally was. It's what comes of posting when one should be in bed.

Anyway, I hope this makes more sense now...and I hope you still like it. Thanks so much for your feedback!


	2. Uncle Jack

A/N: Yay! Part Two! I got such a nice response to the first part that I figured I'd write another.

I'm still stuck on the last few scenes of _The Compass_, though. Not even my 'ignore it until it fixes itself' method of dealing with writer's block is working…so here's something to keep you occupied in the mean time.

Also…it occurred to me that Carys might be a bit too old for 'four'. As I said in the last chapter, it's been about eight years since I've had to read to a four year old. That was my youngest brother…anyway, he spoke much the same way Carys does. To be sure, he had odd pronunciations of words, and a particularly skewed view of reality, but he spoke in full sentences. Then again, I could just be remembering things wrong.

Whatever. Hopefully Carys is believable to anyone who's had any dealings with four-year-olds…

Thanks so much, everyone, for reading and reviewing! You all get cookies!

**Disclaimer**: They still ain't mine. Except Carys. Not that it matters.

**Spoilers**: Anything that explains Jack's history.

**Pairing**: Still Jack/Gwen. Not really Jack/Ianto, but could be if you squint.

**Rating**: T. I used a few 'bad' words. You'll see.

**Warning**: There's a scene at the end of this that…might be a little OOC. I'll let you decide when you get there. Just thought I should warn you of any potential OOC-ness. Enjoy anyway!

* * *

**Chapter Two: Uncle Jack**

"Uncle Jack?"

Jack looked down at Gwen's daughter. The four-year-old was freshly bathed, her breath still smelled of mint toothpaste, and her flanel pajamas (with a unicorn print) were a size too big. She was also holding a much-loved stuffed chimpanzee named Darwin under one arm, and was tugging on Jack's coat with her other hand. Big blue eyes and an oddly familiar face looked up at him. He never would have admitted it, but his world turned to mush in that one instant.

"What is it, Sunshine?"

"If Mam can't come home tonight, who will tell me a bedtime story?"

Jack looked up, helpless, at Rhys. "How about your dad?"

"Da doesn't do the voices right!" Carys proclaimed. She leaned in close and gestured for Jack to lower his ear. To do so he had to hunker down on his heels. She was small for her age. "And Da doesn't know any of the stories about the dark prince and his princess," she added in a conspiratorial whisper. "Mam said they were special stories for special nights."

"Oh," Jack said. He looked up at Rhys again, who was alternating at beaming down at his daughter and regarding Jack with an almost disapproving frown. Personally delivering the news that Gwen was detained by work had been a mistake, he thought. She wasn't in any danger (yet), and they couldn't do anything to bring her back into phase with the space/time continuum (yet), and the alien device that Ianto had been calibrating before it had thrown Gwen out of phase wasn't recharged (yet) – so why Jack had felt a driving need to deliver the news personally was a question he couldn't have answered. Except that ever since Carys had been born, Jack had felt the need to do everything he could to make sure Gwen was home for her daughter. He felt responsible.

And now that responsibility had come back for him. Carys was watching him expectantly with her big blue eyes. Gwen's features in miniature were giving him the same begging look that Gwen used when trying to get Jack to behave more like a human being, or asking Ianto if they'd gotten any more of those chocolate biscuits in since she'd finished off the last. He could never deny that look.

His resolve caved.

"Well, if it's okay with your Da, I'll tell you one story," he said. Ianto was going to kill him for not coming right back like he said he was going to, but some things just had to be done.

"It's okay with me," Rhys said with a shrug.

"Yay!" Carys squealed.

Jack picked Carys up as he rose, and she flung her small arms around his neck. Darwin bounced off his back.

"Night, Da!" Carys said and leaned out to give her Da a kiss. Rhys accepted it with a smile, though his eyes promised something for Jack that Jack wasn't entirely sure he wanted to collect. No matter, though. He was actually looking forward to telling this story, whatever it would end up being.

He carried her into her room, pulled the covers back with his free hand, and deposited her on the bed.

"What story did you want to hear?" he asked. Carys squeezed Darwin to her chest and scrunched up her nose as she thought.

"Do you know any about the dark prince?" she asked. "Mam said that you might, when I asked the other day."

"I don't think so," Jack said. Carys looked crestfallen, and a long-burried impulse in the back of Jack's mind made him, without warning, say, "I might. Tell me a synopsis."

"What's a sin-opp-sis?" Carys asked.

"It's like a summary."

"What's a summ'ry?"

Jack racked his brain, trying to think of a definition that Carys would get. It had been a long time since he'd had to explain anything to a child this young, however bright she appeared to be. Thankfully, he was saved.

"Is that like where Da wants all the good bits of Big Brother told, but not all the bits where Beezle the Man with Spiky Pink Hair said all those bad words about Minnie the Skank?"

Jack stared.

"Sometimes I'm awake when Mam and Da think I'm asleep," the four-year-old said proudly.

"Skank is a bad word too," he said weakly. "Pretty young ladies like yourself shouldn't say it."

"Mam says it," Carys countered.

"Mam isn't a young lady," Jack said, and then winced. That phrase was going to be repeated, he just knew it. "What I mean is, your Mam is grown up enough to decide what words she can say and what words she shouldn't. You still have a few years."

"How many?"

He was never going to hear the end of this. "About thirty," he said.

Carys nodded seriously. "That's more than a few," she said.

"How 'bout you just tell me a short story about the dark prince, and I'll see if I know any others?"

"Okay!"

So Carys launched into a rambling and not entirely coherent rendition of the story her Mam usually told her about how the young woman met the dark prince and had many adventures and fell in love, but that was before she married the good merchant because love doesn't always work out like you want it to, says Mam, even when you know the dark prince and his princess are supposed to be together to make babies.

Jack stared.

"Mam says that only two people who love each other make babies," Carys announced, when her Uncle Jack didn't say 'Oh, I know that one!' like she thought he was going to.

Jack's mouth worked for a few minutes, not just because Carys had blindsided him with talk of babies, but because he'd recognized some elements of Carys' story as things that had actually happened to him and Gwen and the others. He must be the dark prince; Gwen had to be the young woman/princess; Rhys was obviously the good merchant. He didn't think Tosh and Owen, if they still lived, would have appreciated being referred to as 'cronies', but that was probably the best Gwen could come up with as a description.

It had all the elements of a fairy tale, except the bit about the prince and his princess getting together. Gwen must have skipped over certain events, he thought. How could she have looked into that sweet face and practically condone extra-marital affairs? In this day and age? It wouldn't have been anything worth hiding when Jack himself was a boy, but now...? He'd better skirt the issue himself, if he was going to be telling Carys a 'dark prince' story.

Plus, he thought, Gwen would probably kill him if he started corrupting her daughter at so young an age.

"Your Mam's right," he said finally, deciding that Carys deserved to remain innocent of some things for now. "And I do recognize that story."

"So you know more stories with the dark prince and his princess in?" Carys asked, her eyes getting wide again, and her face so hopeful that Jack felt his heart clench with envy. A daughter of his own...but no, the idea was too cruel. How could he bear to outlive his own child? How could explain to a child that their dad would remain forever young while they grew old and wrinkly?

Best not to think of it.

"Tell me one from before the dark prince left and his princess got lonely," Carys said.

He had had a long time to practice the discipline required to keep his face devoid of emotion. It was the only way that the quick, sharp pain in his heart remained invisible to the girl looking up at him with grinning anticipation.

"Well..." he eventually managed. "There was this one time -"

"You're supposed to say 'Once Upon A Time'," Carys interrupted.

"Alright then. Once upon a time, in a land far away-"

"That's not how that goes."

"Carys, your Mam tells stories one way, and I tell them another, so how about you be a good girl and be quiet?"

"Sorry, Uncle Jack."

"It's okay, Sunshine. Now..."

* * *

_Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived a dark prince. This dark prince had an army of Time Warriors, and they would travel about space saving the universe from paradoxes and evil scientists._

_I'll explain what a paradox is later, just know that they're bad. Shh._

_One day, the dark prince realized that his army of Time Warriors had taken two years of his memories away, and so he decided to go rogue and start his own business. But because the dark prince, in those days, wasn't a nice man he did this by lying and cheating people._

_No, it wasn't nice, but the prince wasn't a nice man back then._

_He had it all planned. He would find a piece of junk, take it back in time and hide it, and when they came for it, blow it up so that he got the money and the people got nothing._

_It does make sense. Yes it does. Then it will when you're older. _

_This scheme worked lots of times, and the prince made lots of money. Until the day he tried it on another time traveler and his companion. This time, the prince chose a piece of junk that turned out to be far more dangerous than he'd thought, and it hurt a lot of people._

_And then he met the Doctor. And the Doctor made everything all better. He saved the people that the prince had accidentally hurt, and he saved the prince from being a bad man. The Doctor let the prince travel with him and his companion, and the three of them had many adventures amongst the stars. _

_We'll get to the bit with the princess in a minute. This part is important._

_Eventually, the prince lost the Doctor and his companion. He hadn't meant to. He had tried to protect them, and they'd gotten away safely. But the prince was left behind, and he was sad. So he tried to follow them, and got lost even more. _

_Your Mam is right; if you're lost, you _should_ stay in one place and wait for her to find you. That's just what the prince did. He knew the Doctor would come back to a certain place, so he waited there for him. He waited a long, long time, and it seemed as though the loneliness would never go away. He joined another group, but they turned out to be as cruel as the Time Warriors had been. _

_Eventually he found himself in charge of them, and he knew he had a chance to make them into a group that would make the Doctor proud. He chose his own people, people he could trust, and they had many adventures too. And then, one day, he met a beautiful young woman..._

* * *

"Settle down, Sunshine, or your Da might not let me finish the story."

"The princess!" Carys exclaimed again, only quieter. She crushed Darwin to her chest and looked up, happy, at her Uncle Jack. This was the best part, so far.

"She wasn't a princess yet," Jack said. "She was a young woman who was curious. She had stumbled onto something she didn't understand, but even though she was afraid, she kept searching for the truth. The prince admired this, and he offered her a place at his side."

"Because he was in love with her, right? And he didn't want to let her go."

Jack thought about his dealings with Gwen, way back when. Her startled, frightened face leaning over the last of Suzie's murder scenes. His thoughts of '_stupid woman'_ when he'd dragged her down the hall, away from the Weevil; he hadn't expected her to be there. His somewhat naïve sense of fascination at how quickly she found them, tracked them back to the Hub; the admiration of her tenacity, her unwillingness to be beaten, even after she'd been retconned...and jealousy; jealousy of her connection to the outside world. Had he loved her, even then?

Maybe. Maybe not. He hadn't even allowed himself to care for Ianto, at that point, beyond the fatherly feelings he'd had for all of his team. Even for Suzie.

Except Gwen had been so different from everyone else. So human. That's not to say that the others weren't – himself included – but they had been a part of Torchwood for so long that some nameless part of them had been suppressed. Gwen, in her innocent, human way had freed them from something they hadn't even realized they'd been trapped by.

"Uncle Jack?"

"Sorry?" he shook himself out of his thoughts, realizing that he'd lost track of the story.

"Are you okay?" Her face was a miniature replica of Gwen at her most compassionate.

"Of course, Sunshine. I was just thinking."

"About the dark prince and his princess?"

"Yeah. I was thinking that, for all his searching for the Doctor, the dark prince didn't see what was right in front of him."

"And what was that?"

"The princess. The dark prince found his Doctor again. That was why he went away and made the princess lonely. And by the time he realized that he'd already found what he'd been looking for, his princess had gone back to the good merchant."

Carys regarded her Uncle Jack seriously. She reached out and took his hand in both of hers, chubby fingers wrapping around his middle and index fingers. Her small face still held that most compassionate of expressions, and Jack felt an odd stirring of pride. Carys was her mother's daughter indeed.

"It's okay, Uncle Jack," Carys said. "Don't be sad. I know the dark prince and his princess love each other, even though she married the good merchant."

"Why is that?" Jack asked, wondering how Gwen had always told this bit.

"Because Mam said they made a baby together."

* * *

Gwen was saved, much to everyone's relief. She was unharmed; indeed, she hadn't even been aware that anything had happened. Time, for her, had stopped. She went home to her husband and sleeping daughter, and she and Rhys had another blazing – but quiet – row about her continuing to work at Torchwood and its associated dangers.

Several hours later, Ianto found Jack in his office, hiding behind his desk. A mound of paperwork formed a makeshift boundary between Jack and the rest of the world. It also hid the glass of whiskey from Ianto's view, but not from his fine-tuned sense of smell.

Jack had a file open in his lap. He was staring at a piece of paper in his hands, some print out. Ianto didn't recognize the letterhead, but the word 'genetics' stood out even upside-down, backwards and through the paper.

"I've brought you your dinner, sir," Ianto said. They were alone; the butler's routine was usually good for a smile and a quip, if nothing else. This time, it got nothing. "Sir?"

Jack put the piece of paper back in the file and closed it. "Of course," he said. "Sorry."

Ianto studied his boss as he pulled the covers off all the dishes and let the scent of Chinese takeout waft through the office. As an added treat, he'd dumped all the food out onto real plates and arranged them into an almost-perfect semblance of a culinary masterpiece. He'd even dribbled the sweet-and-sour sauce onto the wontons in a particularly artistic fashion.

Jack seemed to see none of it. He was lost in his thoughts, as happened on occasion. And then Jack looked up, and Ianto gasped. He had never seen such a battlefield of emotions in Jack's eyes.

Ianto's eyebrows went up; he was unsure how to proceed. He'd never seen Jack this _angry_ before, not even after they'd lost Tosh and Owen. It took his breath away.

Jack stared back in mulish challenge. Well then, Ianto thought. Challenge accepted.

His hand darted out, and snatched the file off the top of the pile. Before Jack could shout or protest, Ianto opened the file and had read the piece of paper therein. His expression didn't change, save for a spark of recognition in his eyes.

"You knew," Jack accused when he could speak.

Ianto shrugged, and put the file back down. He resumed arranging the dishes on Jack's desk, a makeshift feast for a makeshift king.

"I'd guessed," he said, placing a tall glass of water next to Jack's right hand. "She has your eyes, your cheekbones. And with the way you and Gwen have been acting around each other for the last four and a half years…" He shrugged. "It wasn't a stretch."

Jack stared. He understood why Carys' features had seemed so oddly familiar. He could see his own mother's features…and the family resemblance would be obvious to anyone who saw them together. It was a miracle that Rhys hadn't confronted him already.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Ianto shrugged. "Gwen never told you because she didn't want to hurt you – or Rhys. It was never my place."

"Your place?" Jack snarled suddenly, anger white hot and searing. Ianto took a step back, not expecting it. "You selfish bastard! You and Gwen both! You kept this from me! My own _daughter_!"

"It wasn't my place, Jack!" Ianto yelled back, his heart thudding. This wasn't like him, he kept thinking. Jack was volatile, yes, but never like this.

"You don't get it, Ianto. You can't. I can't have children – it's too cruel."

"Forgive me," Ianto said chillingly, "for all intents and purposes you don't. Gwen and _Rhys_ have a daughter. Biology, in this instance, is irrelevant."

"Irrelevant?" Jack shouted, launching himself out of his chair. "You can't say that. Not now. Not when it's _my_ eyes in that child's face. _My_ blood in her veins. _My_ legacy! You can't tell me that Gwen gave me a child and then took it away in the same breath and then stand there and say it's _'not relevant'_."

"Then what is it, Jack?" Ianto shouted in return. "Can you say, truthfully, that Gwen was wrong to bear your child, and then turn around and claim that child as your own when _she already has a father_? Pick one! Either it's too cruel for that child to know you, or you're too cruel to keep the knowledge from her."

Jack restrained himself, with visible effort, from shouting again. He glared down at her desk.

"I should have been told," he said again. "Right or wrong, you should have told me."

"No, Gwen should have told you," Ianto replied with a shake of his head.

"That selfish bitch."

Abruptly, Jack saw stars. They danced around his head as the room spun. He picked himself up off the floor and stared in shock at Ianto, who was nursing split knuckles and glowering.

"You bastard," Ianto snarled. "You arrogant _bastard_! Gwen's happy. _Carys_ is happy. Admit, for once in your long life, that you have everything you need. You don't need to _take_ everything from her. You can't possess her! Bad enough that you took Gwen's innocence of the world; do you have to ruin what happiness she's found too?"

Jack stared, and rubbed at his aching jaw. One or two of his teeth felt loose. He hadn't realized that Ianto had such a right hook on him.

"Maybe she should have told you," Ianto continued, voice a few decibels lower. "But _you,_ of all people, don't have the right to call her selfish."

Jack dropped himself down into his chair, and put his head in his hands. All the fight had gone from him. His shoulders slumped, and gradually, Ianto began to calm too.

"Is it wrong to want my daughter to know me?" he asked, sounding so unlike himself in that instant that Ianto knelt down beside him.

"No, it's not," the Teaboy replied. "But she knows you, after a fashion. You're her Uncle Jack. You'll always be there for her, in a way that not even her Da can. You'll be there to see everything in her life, even after Gwen and Rhys and I have moved on. You'll be there to see your grandkids, and their kids. And that's more than anyone could ever say."

Ianto put his hand on Jack's head. Jack flinched at the contact, but didn't pull away. Ianto leaned in and planted a kiss on Jack's forehead.

"You're right, you know," Jack said. "I shouldn't have said that about Gwen. I'm sorry I yelled."

An apology as uncharacteristic as his bout of anger, but Ianto didn't mind.

"Apology accepted." A beat and then, "I'm sorry I hit you."

"I deserved it," Jack said ruefully. "It's just…it's bad enough, knowing that one day I'll loose you and Gwen. An eternity without either of you…what if something happens to _her_?" He trailed off.

Ianto straightened, and adjusted his tie.

"Come on, Uncle Jack," he said softly. "Your food's getting cold."

* * *

A/N: Okay, so I know that last bit came out of nowhere. Believe me, I was as surprised as everyone else when I finished it…thinking to myself, _now where the hell did that come from?_

Still, I think it works. I'm somewhat nervous about it being a little OOC, but…It works, to my mind.

Right. Here's hoping I'll get _The Compass _out of its rut…that story's long over due for an update. : )


	3. Questions

A/N: *pokes head out of hole* Hey…look at that. I'm alive! : )

I've done this one entirely in dialogue. I'm not entirely sure why, except that it felt better that way. It certainly leaves most of the inflection open for interpretation, but I'm sure you'll get the gist of it. From what I've read on this site, you all have wonderfully adept imaginations :)

I know it's been forever and a day since I've updated, and I want to apologize to everyone for that. RL…well, you know how it goes. Plus, _Merlin_ has distracted me. *Is ashamed.*

**Disclaimer**: Still ain't mine.

**Rating**: Still T.

**Pairing**: Still implied Jack/Gwen

**Spoilers**: Kinda, for Exit Wounds.

**Warning**: May be saccharine and cute. Might not be, though. Also, it might get a tad confusing. Just remember that the lines of dialogue alternate between Carys and Ianto, beginning with Carys.

* * *

**Chapter Three: Questions**

"Uncle Ianto?"

"Yes?"

"Why are trees green?"

"Because chlorophyll reflects green light."

"What's chlor-fill?"

"It's a chemical used by plants to turn sunlight into sugar."

"Oh. Can I do that?"

"No, just plants. But we can turn sunlight into vitamins.

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"Like the Flintstone vitamins Mam makes me eat every day?"

"In a way."

"Oh. But if I could turn sunlight into sugar, we could make cakes, and then we could have lots of cake, and icing, like at my birthday."

"I suppose that's probable."

"Uncle Ianto?"

"Yes?"

"Why is the sky blue?"

"It's not. It only looks blue because the air scatters the sunlight during the day."

"But…the sky is air, right?"

"…Largely."

"Then how come it's clear down here, but not up there?"

"It's clear up there, too, but you can't tell unless you're up there."

"Oh. Uncle Ianto?"

"Yes?"

"What's a 'vorce?"

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"Only, Da was saying that Mam should vorce herself from work because it's dangerous, and then Mam said that maybe Da just wanted a vorce himself, and then Da said maybe he did and Mam got upset."

"Oh. Um. Well…divorce means 'to separate' –"

"Why would Da want a 'to sep'rate' then?"

"Because…I don't know. I'm not your Da."

"Hmm. Uncle Ianto?"

"Yes, Carys?"

"If I squeeze my arm really hard, will vitamins pop out?"

"No."

"Darwin is my stuffed chimp."

"…I know."

"Mam said he was her stuffed chimp before he was my stuffed chimp."

"Really?"

"Really really."

"He must be old then."

"He's young at heart."

"Good for him."

"If I squeeze Darwin really hard with vitamins come out too?

"No. His stuffing might come out, but not vitamins."

"Uncle Ianto? How come Uncle Jack got his head all spun round that day when Mrs. Wiggins was screaming, and he said it didn't hurt?"

"Your Uncle Jack is…special. He can't get hurt like other people."

"Not even paper cuts?"

"Not even paper cuts."

"Can I get hurt?"

"Unfortunately yes. But that's why I'm here now, while your Mam and Da go out for dinner. Your Mam asked me to make sure you stayed safe."

"Can we get ice cream?"

"After supper."

"I like chocolate chip ice cream."

"Me too."

"Do you like sprinkles, too?"

"Sometimes. But don't tell Uncle Jack."

"I promise."

* * *

"Uncle Ianto?"

"Yes?"

"Can you tell me who these peoples are?"

"Hand me that picture then. Ah yes. That's your Uncle Owen and your Aunt Tosh."

"I've never met them."

"No. They died a year before you were born."

"Were they married?"

"No, but I think they would have been if they'd had more time. Pass me the potato peeler…thank you."

"Uncle Ianto?"

"Yes?"

"What happens when you die?"

"I don't know. There are a lot of theories; any one of them might be right. It's the one thing you never find out for sure until you go, and then you can't come back to tell anyone."

"We could ask Uncle Jack. He can come back."

"I have. If he remembers anything, he won't tell me."

"Can other people come back?"

"No, just Uncle Jack."

"Why?"

"Something happened to him a long time ago. Only to him, though. Not to anyone else, so don't get any ideas about jumping down from high places or cutting yourself. If you die it'll be for good."

"I don't want to die!"

"Hush, _cariad_. You've a few years in you yet."

"How many?"

"At least eighty."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"That's a lot of years."

"It is. It's more than I have left. Here; blow your nose with this."

"'Ank you, Uncle Ianto."

"No problem, kiddo. Now…since the potatoes are done, do you want to learn how to make a pie? We can surprise your Mam and Da with it."

"Yeah!"

* * *

"Uncle Ianto?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you coming to my birthday party?"

"Of course I am."

"Is Uncle Jack?"

"Yes, he's coming too."

"We're having a picnic in the park."

"I know. I'm bringing the cake and ice cream."

"With sprinkles?"

"With sprinkles, if that's what you want."

"Yay! Da said that Mam's Friend Andy is invited, but I've only met him a couple of times."

"He's a good man. He worked with your Mam when she was a police constable."

"Is that like a city guard, like the young woman was before she found the dark prince and he made her his princess?"

"Sort of."

"Do you know that story?"

"I've heard your Mam telling it to you, yes."

"Uncle Ianto?"

"Yes?"

"Do _you_ know why the young woman married the good merchant instead of the dark prince?"

"I suspect she had many reasons, chief among them being that she loved him."

"But Mam says that love doesn't always work out like fairy tales, but then she looks all sad and mutters about not gretting, but I don't know what gretting means."

"I think you mean 'regretting'. It means that you did something you wish with all your heart you could undo, or that you wish you'd done something that you had the chance to do but never did."

"Like when the prince went away without telling the princess or anyone where he was going, and then the princess got lonely?"

"That's one way, yes."

"Oh."

"I think dinner's ready; come help me set the table."

"Okay! But…Uncle Ianto?"

"Yes?"

"If the princess married the good merchant, why did she make a baby with the dark prince? Why didn't she make a baby with the good merchant?"

"…"

"I asked Mam, and Mam said it was because life is com-pli-cat-ed."

"It certainly is. And maybe she will someday, and her child will have a brother or sister."

"Maybe…but, I asked Miss Hopkins at school, and she said that if the princess had a baby out of bed-lock, then it wouldn't be a real baby, it'd be a fake baby."

"…'Wedlock'. And did she mean 'illegitimate'?"

"Maybe."

"The baby would only be illegitimate in terms of inheritance laws. It would be a real baby, it would…you know, how about we check the pie? It should be almost done by now."

"Okay!"

"And then you can colour if you want, after supper."

"Yay!"

* * *

A/N: I know this is short, but I think that's only because I pulled out the descriptive phrases that would have otherwise given it padding. I hope it wasn't too confusing…or OOC…or bad. It's been a while since I've written _Torchwood_ stuff…for which I apologize, but life and all that…it happens.

Anyway, that last bit's not entirely true…I've finished the last chapter of _The Compass_! Pardon me while I do a happy dance.

It's being edited at the moment. I don't know when I'll be done editing it, because it ended up being a _lot_ longer than I was expecting it to be, and I'm still not sure about a couple of scenes near the end, but it's finished.

In the meanwhile, though, I have another chapter of this story ready to go up in a bit. Should keep you occupied for a while, anyway ;)


	4. The Birthday Party

A/N: I know it's been a while since I updated anything...seeing Season Three inspired me to put the finishing touches on this chapter and post it. I hope you like.

I got into an internal debate with myself a while ago over which chapter I should post first: this one, or _Questions_. This one has no dialogue in it at all, the other is entirely dialogue, and I did it this way as an experiment in both styles of writing (and because it just worked out that way). In the end, I picked _Questions _to go first, and so I wrote it that way, and this is the birthday party that Uncle Ianto is supplying the cake for. Hope you enjoy…

I know I started writing this a long time before _Children of Earth_ happened, but - still - I should mention: pretend that certain Day Four/Five events _never happened_, and everything still (largely) fits within canon. Yay!

**Disclaimer**: Still ain't mine

**Rating**: Still T

**Pairing**: Jack/Gwen implied (still : ) and Jack/Ianto if you squint

**Spoilers**: Not really, but assume the whole series for safety

**Warning**: Like I said, no dialogue in this one, so it's a tad short too. Other than that…not much to warn about, I don't think…usual warnings of OOC-ness, of course.

* * *

**Chapter Four: The Birthday Party**

Carys' fifth birthday was a memorable occasion, in more ways than the obvious. She received many fine presents from her Mam and Da, her grandparents, and Uncle Jack and Uncle Ianto, and Uncle Ianto brought her the best cake _ever_. And, on top of that, the day of her party was the day she found her greatest Treasure of all.

It was a sunny day, with absolutely no clouds. That almost never happened, it seemed, so everyone was especially excited to spend the day outside. They had a picnic in Bute Park, and everyone who was invited showed up, even Uncle Jack and Uncle Ianto and Mam's Friend Andy, who always seemed wistful whenever he looked at Carys.

She liked that word; wistful. Uncle Ianto had taught it to her, so she used it whenever she could.

Mam's Friend Andy had brought a friend of his own, and that friend brought her daughter, who was a year older than Carys and named Mari. Mari had longish blonde hair and blue eyes, and Carys didn't like her. It wasn't that Mari was mean, or rude - she just bugged Carys in some indescribable way. Remembering what her Mam said about being polite, though, Carys did her best to stay nice.

They all played games, and sang the birthday song, and Carys got to blow out five big candles on the big cake, and Mam and Da and Uncle Ianto took a lot of pictures.

Uncle Jack seemed really sad, though. He stood apart from everyone, looking imposing in his long, blue coat, which he wore even in the bright, warm sun. After lunch (which was sandwiches and greens and crisps and orange pop), she took some cake and ice cream to Uncle Jack. Uncle Jack hadn't eaten much, so Carys asked him why he was morose (another word Uncle Ianto had taught her) and said that chocolate solved everything, which is what her Mam said whenever she snuck chocolate out of the cupboard when Da wasn't at home and Mam was upset about something.

Uncle Jack thanked her, and smiled and ruffled her hair (which was in pigtails) and said that she was his favouritest niece in the whole universe and that with the chocolate that she brought him, he could never be morose again. She grinned and went back to the table happy, and saw Uncle Ianto smiling at them from where he was cutting the cake, so she knew she must have done something right.

They had ice cream, after the cake. Chocolate chip, with sprinkles; her favourite.

Uncle Ianto had sprinkles too.

After, when the grownups settled down for boring grownup conversation, Carys decided she was going to have an adventure. Mari was the only other one there Carys' age, because Carys' Mam said that this was a Family Only Party, and that the School Friends Party would come later. Carys broached the idea of an adventure while they were tossing a bright red ball back and forth.

Mari didn't want to go on an adventure.

Carys pointed out that the strip of trees that surrounded the river was probably really a forest, and an enchanted one at that. There was bound to be gnomes, if not unicorns.

Mari said that unicorns were for babies.

Carys replied, indignant, that unicorns were _not_ for babies because she herself was not a baby, and besides, she had unicorn pajamas.

Mari didn't want to go to the forest, even if it was enchanted. Forests were dangerous, and besides, her mum had told her to stay put.

Carys called her a coward, and ventured forth the opinion that she would go on her own, and even if there _were_ unicorns she wouldn't tell Mari about them because _real_ unicorns wouldn't talk to babies like Mari, and besides, the dark prince and his princess would go see because they weren't afraid of anything.

Mari didn't know who the dark princess and his princess were, let alone his cronies.

Carys was startled. She'd thought that _everyone_ knew about the dark prince stories. No matter, though, because if the dark prince and his princess weren't afraid, Carys wasn't going to be either. She tossed the ball aside and set off for the 'forest'.

Mari followed, reluctance in every step.

The forest was actually a small strip of trees separating the park from the river. It was thick enough to have a path running through it, sparse enough that the two girls could go through with no trouble. It was dark, and cool, and inviting to Carys. To Mari it seemed fraught with monsters and danger.

Carys, like the princess in Mam's stories, wasn't afraid of anything. Except clowns, but there weren't any clowns around now so there was no reason to worry. They went further in.

Carys was looking for the fairy ring, to prove to Mari that the forest was indeed enchanted, when an animal ran past them through the bushes. They couldn't see what it was; it was gone too quickly. Carys took this as a sign that they were on the right path. Mari wanted to go back to her mum.

Carys told her not to be a whiny baby.

Mari was _not_ a whiny baby.

Was _too_.

Was _not_, and to prove it, she would use those stones in the middle of the river to get across and explore the other side.

Carys, much too proud to be out done, said she would race Mari to the other side.

They ran.

Quick and nimble, Carys beat Mari to the river's edge. She hopped from stone to stone, right out to the middle of the dark, brownish green water, focused on reaching the other side and heedless of Mari's warnings to come back. She would have made it all the way across, too, if the next rock hadn't tilted and pitched her head first into the cold water.

Mari panicked and ran for help.

Carys could swim, a little. She'd had lessons, though never without her Mam or Da with her, and floaties. The currant was too strong for her, though, the water too deep, and she had no floaties. She fought to get her head above water, and won a small breath. She was cold, and scared, and all alone and wanted her Mam.

The water pulled her away from the rocks she'd been climbing on. She remembered what Uncle Ianto had said about dying being for forever, except for Uncle Jack, and she fought harder, but she was getting tired very quickly. Her lungs burned with the need for more air. If she'd been a little taller, she could have kept her head above water by pushing off the silty river bottom.

She saw _it_ then, shining with reflected sunlight from the river bottom. Mesmerized, and fear forgotten, she reached for it. For a long, timeless moment, she was suspended in the cold water as her small hands closed around something pebble-hard and glass-smooth, stirring up a cloud of silt and green algae…

…and then big, strong hands grabbed her from behind and she was wrenched up and out of the water, into the air, coughing and spluttering and gasping for breath.

Uncle Jack held her close. He wasn't wearing his long blue coat; Uncle Ianto was standing with it on the river bank. Water swirled around Uncle Jack's legs as he carried her out of the river. Carys looked up at Uncle Jack's face, and realized that it was hard and unfeeling. If she'd been old enough, she would have recognized the abject terror deep in his eyes, would have felt it in how close he held her to his broad chest.

Uncle Ianto wrapped her in Uncle Jack's heavy, blue coat, and she was handed into the desperate arms of her Mam, who was shouting and crying. Carys had never seen her Mam look so scared before. Her Da either, for all the grateful looks he was giving Uncle Jack and Uncle Ianto. They took her away from the river and back to the remains of their picnic, followed by Mam's Friend Andy and his friend and Mari.

They all seemed relieved when Mam set Carys down on the picnic blanket and checked her over. Even Mari didn't seem as scared, though she'd been crying.

They left for home soon thereafter, once Uncle Ianto surreptitiously waved some clunky box thing that beeped over her, and said she didn't have to go to the hospital. Uncle Jack said that he and Uncle Ianto would worry about the clean up, and would bring by the rest of the cake and the presents by Carys' house later.

As soon as they were home, Carys was sent to bed, punishment for wandering off (and because she was exhausted). She wore her unicorn pajamas.

No one asked her about the shining thing she'd found in the river, though. They all appeared to assume that it was a rock, and she wouldn't let them take it out of her hand. Her Mam didn't seem up to arguing about it. As soon as her bedroom door shut behind her Mam, and Carys was alone, she took a better look at her shining thing.

It was a pebble, of sorts. Smooth, and round, and flat on one side, like glass. On the back side were several swirls and lines, which were filled with dirt from the river bottom. She thought, maybe, she would like to show it to her Uncle Jack when he was no longer so angry. And then, like a television, an image appeared on the flat side: Uncle Jack was standing outside their front door, with Uncle Ianto, holding bags and the remains of her cake.

Someone knocked on the front door, in time to the knocks Uncle Jack made in the image. Uncle Jack's voice could be heard from the living room, asking if Carys was alright as well as from a tiny, tinny echo from the object in her hand.

It was then that Carys understood what she'd found: Snow White's Magic Mirror! And she hadn't even had to say "mirror, mirror, on the wall" to make it work!

Despite the fact that she was forbidden to get off her bed, she tiptoed quietly to her dresser, opened her Box of Lovelies and slipped the Magic Mirror inside. It went dark as soon as it left her hand, looking once more like a rock with odd grooves in it. Quickly, she darted back to the safety of her bed, and crawled under the covers. Just in time, too, because Uncle Jack opened her door to check on her. She thought he was still angry with her, so she pretended to be asleep.

His footsteps were soft on the rug, and when he sat on the edge of her bed, Carys was hard pressed not to open her eyes. His hands pulled the covers up to her chin and smoothed them down, and then Uncle Jack sighed. He seemed about to speak - he took a deep breath, but it lodged in his throat and the words didn't come. Eventually, he seemed satisfied that she was alright, and he rose and shut the door. Carys could hear his footsteps tread lightly down the hall and back to the kitchen where Mam was no doubt making a pot of tea.

Carys opened her eyes and grinned and hugged Darwin close. With Snow White's Magic Mirror, she could have even more adventures than anyone else, even the dark prince and his princess. The Mirror could show her unicorns, she realized, and how to find them. It could show her where the dragons slept, and the best way to sneak treats from the cupboards. It could show her _everything_ she would or could ever want.

And Mari had thought the forest wasn't enchanted!

* * *

A/N: Once again, the chapter's a tad short, but this time it's because I didn't write any actual dialogue, rather than the last one (which, of course, was entirely dialogue). I hoped it worked, and that you liked it.

Also, I was looking at the sattelite pictures of the River Taff...I'm not entirely sure if it's as deep/fast as I need it to be for this story/chapter...so I'm going to pretend it is anyway, and if it isn't, that five years from now they...uh...dammed it, up stream. Yeah. Put a dam in. Makes it deeper. And faster. Right. :)


End file.
